Department supervisor vs merchandising supervisor

The differences between department supervisors and merchandising supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a department supervisor and a merchandising supervisor. Additionally, a department supervisor has an average salary of $47,300, which is higher than the $34,175 average annual salary of a merchandising supervisor.

The top three skills for a department supervisor include store management, product knowledge and plumbing. The most important skills for a merchandising supervisor are customer service, HR, and drive sales.

Department supervisor vs merchandising supervisor overview

	Department Supervisor	Merchandising Supervisor
Yearly salary	$47,300	$34,175
Hourly rate	$22.74	$16.43
Growth rate	6%	10%
Number of jobs	216,893	179,796
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	6	6

What does a department supervisor do?

A department supervisor's role is to oversee and ensure a business operation's efficiency in a particular area. Acting as a leader, it is their responsibility to develop strategies on meeting goals within a timeline and ensure that the workforce is functioning effectively in a harmonious environment. Furthermore, a department supervisor is in charge of setting goals such as budget and results, evaluating employees' performances and activities, training new members of the workforce, handling and resolving issues, and enforcing the company's policies and regulations.

What does a merchandising supervisor do?

Merchandising supervisors are professionals who create a pleasing shopping environment to entice customers to purchase additional products and gain maximum profit. These supervisors are required to identify trends and make sales predictions based on product popularity, past sales data, and information gained by attending product shows. They are required to make attractive point-of-sales displays so that the customers can easily locate the merchandise. Merchandising supervisors must also handle inventory levels by keeping track and submitting order requests to the purchasing department.

Department supervisor vs merchandising supervisor salary

Department supervisors and merchandising supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Department Supervisor	Merchandising Supervisor
Average salary	$47,300	$34,175
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $66,000	Between $27,000 And $41,000
Highest paying City	Lakewood, NJ	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	Club	-
Best paying industry	Finance	-

Differences between department supervisor and merchandising supervisor education

There are a few differences between a department supervisor and a merchandising supervisor in terms of educational background:

	Department Supervisor	Merchandising Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Department supervisor vs merchandising supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between department supervisors' and merchandising supervisors' demographics:

	Department Supervisor	Merchandising Supervisor
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 57.9% Female, 42.1%	Male, 43.7% Female, 56.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.8% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 6.7% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between department supervisor and merchandising supervisor duties and responsibilities

Department supervisor example responsibilities.

Achieve a high degree of customer relations, in-stock, and store appearance.
Manage geotechnical aspects of an EIR/EIS for a coastal development in an environmentally sensitive lagoon.
Maintain an ISO certify department.
Home depot sales associate , 2/2012 to7/1012
Obtain good working knowledge of EDI.
Assist customers, complete callbacks and diamond counts

Merchandising supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage a group of supervisors and hold weekly SWAS meetings.
Assist store leadership in effectively leading, managing and developing store and/or department operations and associates to maximize sales and profitability.
Co-Manage the firearms and hunting departments with hardlines management team.
Handle SWAS meetings for all merchandise specializing in top merchandise.
Supervise merchandising and associate relations for the hardlines area of the store.
Lead IMS team ensuring trucks are unloaded and perpetual inventory are accurate.

Department supervisor vs merchandising supervisor skills

Common department supervisor skills

Store Management, 21%
Product Knowledge, 19%
Plumbing, 18%
Math, 8%
Customer Satisfaction, 6%
Store Sales, 6%

Common merchandising supervisor skills

Customer Service, 24%
HR, 20%
Drive Sales, 18%
Store Operations, 15%
Sales Floor, 5%
Store Management, 2%

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Department Supervisor
Department Supervisor vs Merchandising Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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